Chapter: 36

"Take him down!" Seeing the sudden attack by Iron Monger, the well-trained agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly drew their handguns and opened fire.

However, these bullets hitting Iron Monger's steel armor were as ineffective as annoying flies, unable to inflict any damage on it.

Before the few agents could analyze the next course of action, Iron Monger swept through and took care of all of them.

Pepper, who was standing nearby, was stunned by the intense scene. Seeing Iron Monger's iron fist about to strike her, her vigilant companion Nini immediately scooped up her owner in a princess carry, activated the super movement mechanism, and the two swiftly escaped from the range of Iron Monger's attack. Restricted by its enormous size, Iron Monger couldn't maneuver flexibly in the narrow confines of Sector 16 and could only helplessly watch as Pepper was rescued.

With Nini's help, Pepper escaped from the office building and immediately dialed Tony's number, wanting to report the situation to him. Luckily, her call was answered this time. "Tony, are you alright? Obadiah has gone mad! He created a massive suit of armor..."

"I know, Pepper. Stay calm and get out of there now!"

But Tony didn't wait for Pepper's response. The phone only transmitted a loud noise and Obadiah's stern voice, "Where do you think you can escape to?"

"Damn it! JARVIS, how much longer can the arc reactor hold?"

"Sir, there is 48% power remaining, and the level is decreasing. This arc reactor was not designed for prolonged flight."

"Remind me when..."

"You are of no use anymore!" Iron Monger, who had emerged from the ground in Sector 16, stood in front of Pepper. He aimed the massive machine gun on his arm at her.

However, before he could open fire, a burst of flame flashed by, followed by a black figure that collided directly with Iron Monger's arm, causing him to lose balance.

The black figure dispersed upon colliding with Iron Monger and transformed into individual armor parts. Nini, who had been standing in front of Pepper, completed her fusion.

Indeed, it was the contingency plan left by Mark that arrived just in time. It was Nini's combat form armor.

The armor used the same graphene-titanium composite material as Baymax, presenting a pink and white color scheme. Unlike Baymax's armor, which was only equipped with a flight module and lacked substantial offensive weapons, Nini's armor featured Plasma Blades, similar to the ones used by Go Go Tomago in the Big Hero 6. Coupled with the martial arts skills programmed into Nini's combat chip, it could be said to be a great enhancement.

Fully armed, Nini didn't prioritize dealing with the immediate threat but immediately carried her owner, Pepper, and activated her thrusters to fly away from the dangerous place. In bodyguard mode, Nini always prioritized her owner's safety, so unless it was impossible to escape safely, combat would not be Nini's first choice.

As soon as Nini took Pepper away from the scene, Tony piloted Mark III and arrived in front of Iron Monger. "Hit him in the chest with the energy blast!"

As soon as they met, Tony gave Obadiah a welcome gift—a direct hit from the chest-mounted energy cannon. Iron Monger was affected by this attack and took several steps back in succession.

However, Iron Monger's design was different from Tony's Mark series that prioritized aesthetics and streamlined design. Its heavy outer armor and massive transmission structure gave it more formidable defense and attack power than the Mark series.

Tony's full-force blow didn't cause much damage to Iron Monger; instead, it aroused Obadiah's ferocity. After stabilizing himself, Iron Monger launched a counterattack against Tony.

Obadiah controlled the suit, activating the boosters on its feet, quickly closing the distance between him and Tony, followed by a powerful iron fist that struck Tony's chest armor.

Bang!

Mark III's strength couldn't withstand this powerful attack, and Tony was directly knocked to the ground.

Iron Monger, already on a rampage, was not satisfied with this. He grabbed Tony, who was still recovering on the ground, and slammed him back down. "For thirty years, I have supported you! I built this company from scratch, and nothing can stop me, especially not you!"

As he spoke, Iron Monger's rear weapons compartment opened, and a piercing round was fired directly at Tony.

Boom!

A massive fireball engulfed Tony in an instant, but fortunately, Mark III not only used a graphene-titanium alloy as its main material but also had a layer of graphene film invented by Mark on its surface. This made the armor thin and lightweight while maximizing its defensive capabilities.

Tony endured the impact of the explosion and took the opportunity to soar into the air, intending to gain the advantage of higher ground.

To his surprise, he discovered that Iron Monger's heavy body was equipped with a flight device.

"Sir, it appears that the enemy's mech has flight capabilities."

"You're right, JARVIS. Take me to maximum altitude!"

"Sir, you currently have only 15% power remaining. Flying to such heights will..."

Tony interrupted JARVIS' reminder, "I can do the math. Do as I say!"

As Tony's armor continued to climb higher, Iron Monger tenaciously followed closely behind, ascending as well.

When Tony's armor reached 7% power, Iron Monger finally caught up with him and grabbed him. "Your idea was good, Tony. But my armor is more advanced than yours in every aspect!"

"Is that so? Have you solved the high-altitude icing problem for your armor?"

"The icing problem?" Obadiah was confused, but before he could react, Iron Monger's control system malfunction due to icing, completely losing power.

"Think about how to solve it!" Tony struck Iron Monger's head with a punch, breaking free from its grasp. Meanwhile, the out-of-control Iron Monger accelerated due to gravity and plummeted towards the ground.

But Tony's triumph didn't last long. "Sir, power is down to 2%. Activate the graphene battery as backup power."

With the backup power activated, Mark III could no longer hover steadily in the air. It began a staged descent, but thanks to JARVIS' precise calculations, Tony had enough energy to land safely.

"Pepper."

"Tony, oh my god! Are you okay?"

"I'm running out of power. As soon as I'm out of this thing, I'll come find you..."

Boom!

"Not a bad plan! But my luck is even better!" Tony thought he had dealt with Iron Monger, but it reappeared behind him. Iron Monger grabbed him tightly with both hands.

"Tony, what's happening to you!" Pepper heard an unusual tone in the voice coming through the phone and anxiously asked. But Tony was now in the grip of Iron Monger and couldn't respond to her concern.

"Nini, hurry and help Tony!" With no other options, Pepper could only request Nini's assistance.

"Understood, Master! Please stay here for now and don't leave. Nini will be back soon."

Zoom! With a boost from the thrusters on her back, Nini headed straight for the position of Iron Monger and Tony.

On the other side, Tony, who had finally freed himself from Iron Monger's control, concealed himself. "Pepper, we can only overload the reactor in the exhibition hall and blow off the roof to deal with Obadiah and his armor."

"Tony, I already sent Nini to help you!"

"It won't work. The little one couldn't possibly... deal with... Obadiah!"

"Tony, what's wrong with you? Why are you speaking so hesitantly?"

"Pepper, thank you for your help. I take back what I said before. The violent factor deep down in Mark's core surprised me!"